HMCS Athabaskan due back in Halifax on Tuesday or Wednesday

The 40-year-old destroyer was being towed to Halifax from Ontario when a tow line broke Dec. 27 off the coast of Cape Breton and the ship was damaged.

The Athabaskan was assessed by engineers, who determined that the damage did not have to keep the ship from being towed the rest of the way to Halifax.

Royal Canadian Navy officials say the vessel should arrive in port Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how towing conditions are.

The Athabaskan was being towed in the first place because it was in Ontario for the first part of a $22-million refit and all operational systems are not online, meaning it could not sail under its own power.

The navy wanted to get the warship to Halifax before ice blocked the St. Lawrence Seaway.